Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuill. and an Exotic Parasitoid, Cephalonomia stephanoderis (Betrem) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) for the Management of Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Abstract

Laboratory and field experiments were carried out to evaluate the bio-efficacy of the white muscardine fungus, Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuill. and the exotic parasitoid Cephalonomia stephanoderis (Betrem) on coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) at Pulney hills, Tamil Nadu, India, during the year 2004-05. Laboratory studies showed that B. bassiana at the dose of 1í—10⁹ spores ml^−1 registered the highest per cent mycosis (65,09%), followed by 1í—10⁸ spores ml^−1 (61.52%) and 1í—10⁷ spores ml^−1 (56.39%) as against zero per cent mycosis In untreated check. The results from the field studies indicated that the cumulative mean per cent mycosis of B. bassiana on coffee berry borer recorded throughout the period of observations was highest at the dosage of 1í—10⁹ ml^−1 (58.49%, followed by 1í—10⁸ spores ml^−3 (48.76%) and 1í—10⁷ spores ml^−1 (39.27%). The results of the present study on C. stephanoderis revealed that among the 17 locations surveyed, the highest level of parasitism was observed in Nallurkadu (36.25%), followed by Solaikadu (34.45%) and Adalur (32.44%).